What if Primary Target was also based on Con, akin to a kineticist's elemental blast? This is what I meant. ALL heavy weapons would use Con, not just Soldier using it because its his Class DC. Think about it - with a heavy weapon, in order to aim better you need to shoulder the heavy recoil of the weapon. CON is perfect for that.
Make CON the deciding attribute when it comes to heavy weapons. DC for Heavy Weapons = 10 + CON + Weapon Proficiency + Tracking = BimBamBoomShakalaka. It would negate the need for Dex (Soldiers use heavy armor after all, why would they bother with dex unless they want to use non-heavy weapons?) and better allow the class fantasy of the big heavy guy with a big heavy gun. I mean, just look at the Iconic. That girl thicc.
They changed this from the field test - before, it was all one shot 'effectively', as in this primary target would be hit in the same shot as the rest of them, its just that you focused your area attack on the 'primary' target without expending additional ammo. I guess they felt it was too strong, but now it doesn't match up with the story as you said.
This! In one of my field test playthroughs I changed how Area Fire works and it felt better. Instead of straight up class DC, Area weapons used 10 + Weapon Proficiency of the weapon + Tracking + CON. This would fix the advanced weapon issue and make it so only a Fighter with +3 Con (and maybe an Operative with +3 Con) could compete with a Soldier when using Area weapons. The Fighter/Operative would have to sacrifice their +3 Str for +3 Con and then they'd have a DC 18 whereas the Soldier would have a DC 17. This would fix the 'Int/Charisma being good for area weapons) because AS IT IS, a Human Wizard with +4 Int can fire an area weapon as good as a soldier (not including primary target). This makes no sense that a wizard or a bard could use area weapons the same DC as a soldier. With my change:
Martial Area Weapons:
Advanced Area Weapons:
Honestly, give Soldiers either Expert in Simple/Martial Area weapons, or at least trained in Advanced Area weapons.. let them be the area weapons guy.
Hey Everyone! So, my players are finally on Book 2 of Reign of Winter so I've decided to share one of my favorite maps I recreated for the Book 1 of the campaign using a combination of Photoshop and 2-minute Tabletop's paid assets (totally worth it btw). This map is made primarily for Roll20 but certainly can be used elsewhere. Size(Pixels): 2800x3500 (w x h)
This map took me literal hours to recreate - you'll notice that the shape is a bit different in a few places as well as the layout is not 100% the same. I made the shape more 'uniform' to fit the grid better and everything is mostly the same. If anything, the first floor got hit the hardest with the changes. You'll also note a ton of little details all over the place to fit the various occupants. My players LOVED it - and murdering all of its occupants (Except Radosek which they managed to befriend!) Yeah that's a story in its own right, lets just say they know how to diplomacy. I have a number of other maps I use either once-off or sparingly. Some of them I was still figuring things out - but Camp Ambush Nighttime #2 was my personal favorite of the bunch here. All are 70 resolution. Camp Ambush Nighttime 1
Camp Ambush Nighttime 2
Snowy Trail (I use variations of this one a lot)
The White Weasel
Snowy Trail 2
Snowy Glade
I can't wait to do some of the Book 2 ones.. Huehuehue.
Just realized I never finished my gear. Oh well, I'll stick with what I have and explain my 71 gp left over as what he's saved up through stealing. I have the basics already at least... I think. Working on my post - apologies again for the delays!
Whew, luckily nothing happened yet. I.. kinda forgot about this campaign due to a combination of stress at work, being sick, having to look for a new home, finishing up building my new PC, and the campaign not being on my campaign list. I've been quiet across all my games as a result, but I JUST remembered I needed to check this one tonight while at work. Btw GM, what kind of job did you get?
Hey guys, glad to see the interesting lineup of villians we got! As for what Ghivinus brings to the table.. the better thing to say is what he does not bring to the table. Ghivinus is primarily an out-of-combat person with a few in-combat tricks up his sleeves. Out of combat, he can perform the following roles: Bookworm: Although he only has two knowledge skills to begin with (Local and Arcana), he'll quickly drop at least one point in every knowledge skill; In addition, he's trained in Linguistics (Contracts and forgeries!) and has quite a number of languages. Crafter: Although not much of one, he does have ranks in Craft (Alchemy) and will be more than willing to make poisons enmasse. Dungeoneer: With ranks in Disable Device, Stealth, Use Magic Device, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Disguise, he's quite good at performing all basic rogue functions. Probably why our 6th character went from Unchained Rogue to Oracle. Face: With high points in Bluff and Diplomacy, he's quite good at being the face; that being said, he's very poor at intimidation, so he'll have to rely on one of you for that. Item Identifier: He does of course have ranks in Spellcraft, and since I switched out Alchemy with Psychic magic, he has access to Detect Magic. I can identify basically anything we find as a result. Other: Having Charm Person on his list of spells known helps for charming people that his silver tongue can't. With Sleep he can help us bypass obstacles combined with Lullaby, or at least use Lullaby to decrease perception checks. Eventually, he's going to become an Assassin and will specialize in 1-shot blows. Intelligence will be his #1 attribute to raise in order to increase the DC of his death attack at 6th level. But, he'll eventually also have access to 3rd level psychic spells, which'll help out in various ways. With spells, he's focusing on ways to avoid combat or end it quickly. Sleep, Deep Slumber, Vanish/Invisibility (For death attacks), and spells that will help him hide (Undetectable Alignment/Disguise Self). One big spell I'm considering building for is Instigate Psychic Duel. This could possibly allow him to kill someone through a psychic duel of the minds. He'll have it at level 4 and due to his immense mental attributes (he'll use items to also increase wisdom and charisma), he can completely wreck physically-oriented enemies with this spell. Meanwhile his death attack could be used for anyone else.
I intended to use the being in space as a way to terrify them; they're trapped aboard an alien vessel with no way to control it, thousands (Tens of thousands, technically, if you use Earth as an example) of miles above Golarion. The nearest living creatures all want to kill them/experiment on them and have control of the ship, not to mention are utterly alien in all possible ways. I've already told my players that my modified book 3 will feature a short hop into space, and they're really excited. A minor spoiler to be sure, but it was used as a way to get them excited, and eventually as a way to terrify their characters :D
So, as there have been a few mentions that The Choking Tower doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the campaign (Not that its a bad adventure by any means!), I'm taking the effort to completely rework Book 3 into something that not only features Iadenveigh more directly, as well as tying the adventure directly into Book 4, and the entire campaign to a lesser extent. The following outline is spoilered partially to protect my players from accidentally stumbling upon it in case they are looking at my posts, and partially to keep the post tidy and organized. Adventure Outline:
Following clues gained from Scrapwall, the players head towards the secular town of Iadenveigh to seek out the Android Oracle known as Cassandalee. However, as they arrive, they find that the town is having problems of its own that delay the player's search for Cassandalee.
Between mutilated livestock and pets, sightings of strange lights in the night sky and half-remembered nightmares of close encounters of the third kind, the entire town of Iadenveigh is panicking as they are unable to find the source of these strange phenomenon. As the players arrive seeking information of their own, they are quickly hired on by a man named Redfang to investigate the disturbances in exchange for whatever help the town can offer in searching for this 'Cassandalee'. The players are joined by a conspiracy theorist named Lorentian Kairn, who arrived one day ahead of the players and is also investigating the disturbances. In reality, this man is a Technic League Spy who not only is spying on the town, but is also genuinely interested in the ongoing disturbances. The players investigate numerous examples of livestock mutilation, crop circles, and interrogate an eccentric local who claims to have been touched by "Those from Beyond", only to find that their trail grows cold. It isn't until later that a small mechanical bird is shot down by one of the hunters that the trail picks back up and leads towards a group of Varisians camped within the town; confronting the troupe reveals evidence that they were the ones causing the disturbances and are thusly arrested. In thanks for their part for finding out who was causing these disturbances, the players are told about a hidden spaceship beneath the town. (Cue Part 2: Into the Aurora) At the end of the Aurora, their trail of Cassandalee goes cold. (There is no Invisible Stalker at the end of the dungeon, and no clue leading to the Choking Tower). However, as they try to leave the Aurora, they are confronted by Redfang and a number of townsfolk, who open fire on them claiming that “They have seen too much”. After the battle is over, the townsfolk that attacked them are shown to be reptilian humanoids in disguise - creatures that Lorentian dubs “Reptoids”. He claims to have been right about these aliens all along, and that the players can trust no one in the town before they can figure out who are real and who are Reptoids in disguise. However, before they can truly figure out who is who, the next day they are charged for the murder of Redfang and numerous other citizens by Ivek Gunnette, who tells them to stand trial. If they try to prove themselves innocent, they have the chance to oust Ivek (And numerous other councilmembers) as being Reptoids in disguise in front of the entire town. However, now that their subtle efforts are blown, the aliens launch an assault against the town in order to subdue it. After defending the town from robots and alien creatures, they discover a trail that leads them to a spaceship landed a few miles outside of town. Boarding it and taking out its crew of small, gray aliens, they are rewarded by becoming stuck on the ship as it lifts off and heads into orbit to dock with its mothership. Hilarity ensues and the players get the chance to explore and wreck things on the mothership, crewed by alien Grays, Reptoids, and other aliens, before confronting the cybernetically enhanced gray that serves as the captain. While exploring the ship, they discover information about another alien presence in Numeria (Dubbed “The Enemy” by the Grays) in a region known as the Scar of the Spider; information on these aliens is that they have discovered some sort of important artificial intelligence and that liberating this technology is next on the Gray’s list of actions. In truth, this AI is Cassandalee - exactly who the players were looking for. However, by confronting the captain and slaying him, the players are unable to control the ship *The captain was psychically linked to the navigational computer) and it finds itself performing an emergency crash landing in Numeria. As it so happens, it lands relatively near the Scar of the Spider, allowing the survivors to continue their journey, possibly after salvaging tech from the crashed ship.
--------------------------------------------------- What do you guys think? I’m still working on the crunch and the minute details, but I feel that Book 3 being about aliens fits right in with Book 4’s theme, allowing the middle section of the Iron Gods’ trilogy to be all about aliens. Plus the players get to go to space, if only for a short time. Miiiight see if I can include a space walk somewhere in there. As far as the Choking Tower goes, I feel it would be better served as a stand-alone adventure, since it doesn’t quite mesh well with the rest of the campaign. Furkas Xoud is an awesome foe and the tower itself is a ton of fun, though. Once finished, I fully intend to post links and maps so others can enjoy this adventure as well. Inspiration for the adventure is from X-files, general alien conspiracy theories, and of course, XCom. --------------------------- Alien Races Involved: Grays: The Grays are the leaders of this cabal of aliens; it is their ship they use, they perform most of the experiments on specimens and they’re the ones who often go and collect specimens for examination and experimentation. They use a number of high-tech weaponry and technology, many of which differ from the Androffan technology found in Numeria in ways that allow it to interact with the psychic abilities of the Grays. They are lead by a cybernetically modified Gray known as a “Zeta” that is psychically connected to the ship itself and controls it; without the Zeta’s assistance, the ship cannot be controlled except by a more powerful ship. As a result, killing the Zeta forces the ship to either go on lockdown mode, making it effectively inert although most of the processes on the ship continue to function (life support, experimental facilities, etc), or perform an emergency landing (the latter happens in this case) Brain Moles: Although not necessarily ‘alien’ per-say, Brain Moles are used by the Grays to collect psychic energy that the Grays can then extract and store. The Brain Moles are lead by a Brain Mole Monarch that has created an alliance with the Grays, providing them with psychic energy in return for not only safety, but plentiful food sources. Emotion Ooze: A number of Emotion Oozes are held captive in the Gray’s ship in order to allow the Grays to study the effects of various psychic emotions on humans. The Grays themselves are curiously immune to the effects of the Emotion Oozes, but nevertheless have taken precaution with containing the oozes; each ooze is kept in a secure vat that can psychically block the emotion aura of the oozes, allow a limited amount of it to leak out, or to allow its aura to penetrate it fully, at the command of the Grays. Griefgall: A small number of Griefgalls have aligned themselves with the Grays and help the aliens study emotions and psychic emanations; One such Griefgall infests a Lashunta Psychic that leads the study of the Emotion Oozes. Reptoids: A number of Reptoids are amongst the aliens, although most of them are now amongst Iadenveigh’s population, having infiltrated and replaced numerous citizens. Unlike the Grays, who prefer to interact with the humans as little as possible or at least do so from a hidden standpoint, the Reptoids are focused on infiltration and learning more about the humans through direct interaction, as well as focused on locating suitable targets for experimentation, not to mention studying the curious fertility of the town. Although they keep what little technology they bring to the town a secret, they maintain constant contact with their allies in the ship above the village. Thorgothrel: A single Thorgothrel accompanies the Grays, acting as biological scientist to assist in studying the humans. The Thorgothrel doesn’t much like working with the Grays or Reptoids, but nevertheless has been convinced to cooperate provided it can genetically regress a few specimens here and there, to which the Grays agreed. Robots: A number of robots assist the Grays onboard the ship and elsewhere. These range from guardians, to medical drones, to scouts, to psychic-amplifying support robots. They differ from Androffan Robots in that they often project a psychic force-field and can store and even use psychic energy. One such type of robot is the “Robotic Mage”, a variant Clockwork Mage with the Robotic Subtype that uses psychic magic. Other: A number of alien plants and other creatures are kept as specimens for study and research, including at least one Rhu-Chalik and a few Flumphs. Others include numerous Lashunta and Shobhad kept in stasis as trophies of sorts. Some of these captive aliens can be rescued as allies, while others might be antagonistic, even to their rescuers. One captive in particular, while not alien, is a Tyrannosaurus Rex that was taken from the Mwangi and kept in stasis.
Here is my roleplaying example with this character, recreated here as well as in my character profile. I hope you enjoy it! Roleplaying Example: ”Oh, thank you dearie!” An elderly woman, wearing an old, lacy dress and smelling of cats and old spices is joined outside of Rohalendi’s Hospice by a young man in his mid-twenties wearing a simple leather outfit and carrying a small bag of goods with him. He puts his arm around the old woman’s arm and helps her down the stairs of the hospice, before walking with her towards the town. The man smiles at his charge as the duo walk at a snail’s pace down the stairs. ”Not a problem ma'am - Gerya asked me to make sure you get home safely and I intend to do just that.” Standing only slightly taller than the hunched lady, he is forced to take baby steps to ensure he doesn’t outpace the old woman’s shuffling. Although he puts on a friendly facade, he secretly rankles at the smell, which reminds him of cat piss. ”Gerya is such a dearie, opening her home to us old folks. Ever since my husband passed away, it’s been getting harder and harder for little old me to get by. It’s good to see she has such a sweet young man to help her out. Ghivinus, isn’t it? I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. Such a nice woman, it was so horrible what happened to her.” The woman’s old voice cracks from time to time, like the croaking of a frog long overdue to meet its maker. Being so close to her, Ghivinus can smell her rotten breath, reminding him of his short tenure at the Louslik Tannery. The smell is easily worse than the smell of cats, and it is all Ghivinus can do to not screw up his face in disgust. Ghivinus mentally rolls his eyes at her sympathy, but outwardly smiles. ”It has been hard, but I’ll manage. I just hope she is in a better place and no longer has to worry about anything.” He scoffs inwardly, in actuality glad he’s rid of his whiny, overbearing mother who never left him alone. The old woman continues to prattle on about how good of a young man he is, about how good of a man her husband was and babbles on about her earlier life, all the way to her home. Ghivinus, outwardly patient as he is, answers when necessary but hardly listens. Instead, his arm wrapped around the old ladies is subtly picking at the contents of the old woman’s purse, as oblivious as its owner is. By the time they finally reach her house, he has scored himself a few dull silver shields, which he pockets. ”Thank you dearie. Here, you deserve a tip for being such a good young lad.” Having arrived at her home, the old woman lets go of Ghivinus and searches around in her purse. Ghivinus meanwhile, shakes his head. ”No, no, its ok ma’am, I’m just trying to do a good deed. Gerya already pays me to help out anyways.” ”Nonsense, you deserve something extra. Now where were they.. I was sure I had a few shields in here somewhere. My mind must be slipping - probably spent them on something at the market earlier. At this rate I’ll be a full-time tenant at Gerya’s. You wait here dearie, I’ll go fetch something from inside - and I won’t take no for an answer. “ She leads him into the common room of her small home and shuffles into another room. As soon as Ghivinus is in there, he’s bombarded with an amplified smell of cat piss, dust and decay, and an odd, nauseating assortment of perfumes, candles and other, less identifiable smells. Numerous of the old woman’s cats curiously approach Ghivinus, meowing. He reaches his hand out and pets one, who purrs in response. A few minutes later the old woman returns, more cats following in her slow wake. She smiles at Ghivinus and puts a shiny gold crown in his hand - as well as a few candies that are likely older than Ghivinus himself. ”You deserve this, young man. No, don’t shake your head - it’s good to see that chivalry in this nation isn’t dead yet in our younger generations. Spend that on something nice for yourself.” ”Thank you ma’am,” Ghivinus smiles and bows, before giving one of the cats a last pat on the head and heads out the door back to his employer’s. Finally. I need to get away from these old s*!*s. I need to speak with Cimri again and see what that offer about work was about. Anything is better than this.
Ok right at the beginning of the adventure background is DEFINITELY a Dwarf Fortress Reference. I love it! What the DF Reference is:
Delbera Axebringer goes into a Strange Mood and creates a *Artifact* weapon (not an actual artifact in PF terms). I haven't read the entire adventure yet but.. just glancing through it shows it looks AWESOME. I love it just for that DF reference at the beginning though. Plus.. DWARVES! I mean seriously, that redoubt looks awesome too. Dwarvesssssssss. Can you tell I love 'em? Paizo doesn't show 'em enough love!
I lied. I'm gonna work on my character after all, as it looks to be too good of a campaign to pass up.
Honestly the reason my character was going to use opium on his blades was mostly because its a powerful effect at a low price. Poison interests me much more as a character. Its just that right now, drugs as-is are a far more powerful poison than poison is.. at a much lower price. Kind of meta-gamey in that sense, although my two daggers steeped in opium were more for emergencies than common use :P Spoilered Because its Wordy:
I went and found the Book of Vile Darkness that originally introduced drugs into D&D 3.5, and it appears that Drugs are indeed a poison (whether ingested, injury, inhaled, or contact). In this case, using them voluntarily means you automatically failing your saves (the initial save was for damage, secondary save was for 'good' effects), and of course required another save for addiction (which was a disease).
I've been thinking about how it would work in my own games and I'd do something very similar - probably have it be a slow acting poison that grants a beneficial effect while the person is suffering from the slow damage of the drug. How slow exactly would probably be up to the drug itself, and depending on the drug, might be either as fast as a poison (for drugs meant to be used in the thick of combat that grant immediate, short-term benefits at the cost of something), or in most cases, 1/minute or even 1/hour, especially for recreational drugs. As a result, I do not think that most drugs should be usable in combat as a weapon against the enemy - the main difference between a drug and a poison is that poisons are meant to be used against the enemy, while drugs are meant to be used by oneself and of course, are addictive. So I'm going to drop the opium-coated dagger idea because I would not allow it in my own games. Of course eventually I do plan on him having poison-coated weapons, but that'll come later.
"Probably not the smartest move there, Setsuna. I'll heal him. Its not like I was of any help that fight anyways." Theodric rests his greatsword on one of his shoulders while pulling out his wand with his free hand. He taps Mory with it to allow the devilish healing to do its work. After he does so, he puts the wand away. "This time, lets not go through any spike-filled tubes. And I'll stay up front with whoever is lookout." He walks over and kicks the ogrekin's body and decides to heavily drop the tip of his greatsword into it skull, just to make sure its dead. Once thats done, he checks the body for anything of interest value-wise.
Yep! Thanks Varian
I had a pre-campaign roleplaying session at the Tooth and Nail the afternoon after the Night of Ashes; I used this session to recruit my six players here on the boards. Ended up having one of the players I chose organize a post-prelude, pre-campaign meeting at her abode. Great way for all of the players to meet each other, and we explained that although she invited numberous other characters, the only ones who decided to attend were the ones I picked for the campaign. I also later had Rexus state that he spied on the meeting, which is why he chose to contact them for the protest. Worked out perfectly.
When I get off work I'm gonna look into possibly becoming a supporter for Roll20, allowing me to utilize dynamic lighting and line of sight. Now that I have a job, I can easily afford $5 a month. So expect that fun stuff to be in play soon ;)
RAW, Devils aren't immune to fear or intimidate. Even RAI is iffy, as they do feel emotion and can be scared s%!$less. That being said, if the DM says they're immune, then they're immune. Its called a houserule and houserules trump all other rules. Is it a nerf to intimidate builds? Sure. Would it make a build useless in this campaign? Nope! Even someone who primarily uses fire attacks would still survive in this campaign.. he'd just need to figure out how to hurt a fire-immune devil. Thats when you bring in the holy water :)
Theodric sighs, "Why do you all care so much about an animal? They live and die out here in the wilderness - its just what they do. Does this really require our attention?" Theodric hangs back as a result, watching as everyone gets riled up over some injured animal. He signs again and folds his arms to wait out what he thinks is a waste of time. "We really do have better things to be worrying about - such as the missing Black Arrows."
A quick note about how I do combat: Unlike normal Pathfinder, I lump everyone's initiative together and take the average. Since there are six of you, I total your initiatives' and divide by 6 to get the group's initiative. Its makes combat here on the boards MUCH smoother and I got the idea from Darian in his own campaign. I then do the same with the enemies' initiative. As far as who goes first within the group, its basically whoever posts first - although you can specify that your action goes after someone else in the group if you wish. Should someone do something that makes another's action invalid, I'll either give them a chance to fix it/take a new action or correct it the best I can myself. Secondly, as far as formatting goes, the same goes for how I wanted you to do your protest actions - although I'm a little stricter with combat and I really would prefer it if you did it like I showed ya. In addition, please make sure you list out exactly what actions you take: Move actions, standard, free, swift, or no-actions, when you take said action and in what order you take them. Dice are rolled in what order you take said action, so no finigalling with the order you roll your dice to get a better outcome ;P
As the crowd borders on rioting, yelling and screaming at the guards and Thrune, one grizzled old man with a weathered face and thin grey hair shoves forward in front of the crowd and hocks a clump of wet manure at the third story window. Barzillai, smiling to himself as he takes a sip from his wineglass, widens his eyes in surprise as he is forced to duck to avoid the foul projectile that ends up sailing over his head into the room beyond. In evading his ‘gift’ from the crowd, he spills his wine all over his armor and noble regalia; Barzillai’s demeanor suddenly shifts from amused to bellicose; in a voice much unlike before, he waves the empty wineglass at the crowd and shrieks, ”Enough of this! Nox, run them off, arrest them, or kill them! I don’t care which!” before retreating into the opera house and slamming the windows shut. Nox quickly moves to obey her master, mobilizing the dottari who quickly draw their heavy black-iron maces and raise their shields towards the crowd. Seeing such a display of hostility from the guards and reacting to Barzillai’s orders, the crowd bursts out into a full riot as people begin flinging rotten food, stones, and anything else at hand at the guards and the opera house. As Nox mobilizes the dottari, she herself remains at ease, a wicked grin appearing upon her ugly, misshapen face. At this, numerous men and women amongst the crowd pull back their cloaks or rip off false tear-away clothing to reveal matching armbands emblazoned with the Chelish Cross, black-and-red studded leather armor and iron truncheons; each one carries a set of manacles on their hips along with a sadistic grin on their faces.
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One of the thugs, revealing himself just a few feet from Galen and Danyeren, grips his truncheon in both hands and swings it towards his target with as much force as he can muster. he yells as his truncheon connects with the back of Danyeren’s head and her eyes go wide with shock and her mouth opens into a silent scream as Galen hears a sickening crack. It almost seems as if time has slowed down to a crawl as Galen watches his lover fall to the cobblestones, unconscious in a crumpled heap. Her light brown hair quickly becoming stained by her growing pool of blood as it mixes with the water and dirt on the cobblestones. Nearby, three other thugs reveal themselves just feet from Varian and Avrora - these thugs took notice of the duo as they organized the crowd during the past hour and have them surrounded, their truncheons at the ready and a gleam in their eyes. Other thugs are scattered around the full-fledged riot as they begin to beat rioters senseless with their truncheons; the dottari in front of the opera house maintain their defensive line, shields at the ready. The few rioters foolish enough to get close to them in an attempt to either storm the opera house or to try and get past the dottari are beaten unconscious by their heavy swings. _____________________________________________________________
Initiative Rolls:
This dude is so much cooler than Merisiel. Yes you heard me! I DON'T DENY IT! #TieflingPride #DownWithTheElves
Also on an completely unrelated note: It has been brought to my attention that theres a rather severe error in the Player's Guide. Meeting a Contact: The Silver Ravens have long fascinated you. You might just agree with their politics for a free Kintargo, or perhaps you admire their spirit. Maybe you just like the idea of a secret society. You might know someone who was supposedly in the Silver Ravens; that someone might even be a parent, sibling, or lover. When House Thrune established martial law a week ago, though, the Silver Ravens went dark. Rumors that their leaders have all been captured or killed circulate, and no sign of the rank-and-file members can be found. Certainly, your friend or family member has gone missing. You’re starting to worry, and hope to find out what happened to the group. After doing a bit of dresearch, you were contacted by a friend of a friend of a friend who claimed to know something about the Silver Ravens. You don’t know who this contact is or even his name, but you do know that he’s a human man, and that he’s arranged to meet with you at the Aria Park protest. You’ll know him because he’ll be wearing one black leather glove on his right hand and no glove at all on the left. You gain a +2 bonus on all Perception and Sense Motive checks made during the protest itself. and Silver Ravens: A third and final group of rebels Supposedly put down by House Thrune is the Silver Ravens. Nothing has been heard from them or their leaders for weeks. As it so happens, the second quote should be "Nothing has been heard from them or their leaders for decades". The reason for protesting is all wrong since it assumes that the Silver Ravens were active up until Thrune took control - this is incorrect. They have been dark for decades. As a result, anyone who took this trait instead was contacted by a man (through a friend of a friend) who claims to be apart of this long-dead organization and you came to the protest to seek him out. Same general thing but theres a discrepancy between what IS and what the player's guide says, and I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea. You'll learn more about it in-game. The campaign does not assume that you'll be rebuilding the recently-defeated Silver Ravens - it assumes you'll be resurrecting and rebuilding the long dead organization. I believe it was simply a discrepancy between editing and writing and that someone goofed up when writing the player's guide.
I definitely agree that they could and even should bet ailored to each individual group and have some sort of message to go along with 'em. This helps show the players that the city is truly thankful for what they've been doing so far and makes it so that they wan to liberate it even more. As for my own changes, I'm going with a bit of a darker path. In my own campaign, silvered weapons (And silver-alchemical goods like weapon blanches) are far less common despite one of the city's exports being silver - my figure being is that Thrune has outlawed such items (or more specifically in my campaign, all of Cheliax in general has outlawed such items in the wake of Martial Law). Such items become black-market commodities and thus are available - for a price. In addition, those who blatantly summon good-outsiders in public might be arrested on charges of working with the 'enemy'. One of my players is a Hidden Priest Cleric of Milani with a summoning focus so this'll be interesting ;) And lastly I've been modifying the campaign to work with the Automatic Bonus Progression rules from Pathfinder Unchained - so far I'm greatly enjoying these rules and my players are looking forward to them as well. A few NPCs got minor buffs while others stayed roughly the same. My players better not try and look at this!:
I also turned Azvernathi Raul into a Warpriest - he's decidely more dangerous now. Here are his stats if anyone wants them. Do remember he has +1 to all resistances due to the ABP rules - feel free to give him a cloak of resistance in your own game if you aren't using those rules, or give him back his +1 mace (though make it light, as it works better with him!)
Theres also another named NPC down below who leads the Redactors - an Unchained Monk 1/Cleric of Asmodeus 3 named Shiyanah Varth. Since I have six players, I added her and quite a few more redactors to even up the odds - she also is in control of numerous zombies upstairs and has one down below guarding her bedchambers. Lots of other changes but in case my players sneak a peek, I don't want to spoil it. Its spoilered in case they're looking at my posts for whatever reason (dang stalkers).
As the participants of the meeting sojourn for the night in their respective quarters or leave for their own comfortable beds, the Devils Bells ominously ring once, twice, and then three times before allowing the silence of the night to finally take hold of the Silver City, heralding the end of an eventful, even fateful day. ---------------- Seven days passed after the original appointment of Paracount Barzillai Thrune as Lord-Mayor of Kintargo. While there were those among the populace who felt this was a step in the right direction for the city, others shook their heads in worry and some further spoke treasonous whispers of rebellion. As it so happened, things began to go downhill rather quickly. The first things to happen were the Seven Proclamations the following day of the installment of martial law. These laws were read aloud by the very same criers that announced Thrune’s arrival, and as the day wore on, they marched along the streets, always with a patrol of Dottari, repeating the Seven to all those would hear to ensure no one would be uninformed. The first proclamation saw raised eyebrows from some, nods of approval for others - vermin were always a problem, and although doves, mice, and ravens weren’t usually seen as such, the poor of the city quickly began hunting said pests in droves before presenting them to the Dottari. The second proclamation caused quite a few grumblings amongst more than one of the city’s businesses - although reasonably priced at a mere ten gold crowns apiece, many businesses rankled at showing Her Infernal Majestrix’s face in their shops. Those who ignored the proclamation were quickly fined, and in the case of more than one shop, saw their property seized and them hauled off to one of the quickly-filling prisons within the myriad of guard towers in the city. It is a well-known fact that Barzillai loves dogs, particularly the larger breeds, and as a result the third proclamation came to little surprise. It is also a well known fact that Barzillai has invented a form of excruciation using said dogs aptly named ‘Dog Housing’. Although no such punishments have been met out during Barzillai’s first week of office, many whisper of things to come, especially if the Dottari keep collecting said dogs from the populace. The fourth proclamation came as a severe annoyance to the city’s noble population, and to a lesser extent its performing one. Although many of the nobles easily purchased the right to keep wearing their expensive and extravagant clothing, many of the city’s performers had to make due with illusions or faux-jewelry to avoid being fined and having their clothing stripped from their very persons. Unsurprisingly enough, the fifth proclamation merely caused a few eyebrows to raise in curiosity. Those who discussed it in coffee shops and parlors speculated it was to prevent a famine in case of a riot or uprising - as food shortages are common during such periods. Those in less well-to-do places such as the myriad of taverns around the city assumed it was just a way to kick the little guy even further - their logic being that the person who spilt the grain had already wasted his grain, yet now must spend the time to pick it up, clean it, or be fined and possibly imprisoned? The sixth proclamation came about with a few small protests, as tea is a much beloved drink amongst the city - almost as much as coffee and alcohol. Being unable to consume such a drink at night limited made no sense! The seventh proclamation was little more than a curiously discussed topic amongst most citizens, as it had nearly no effect on them. That being said, there are quite a few confectionary shops within the city, and those who offered mint candies and treats quickly either threw them away lest they get fined or - in most cases - offered out said candies free of charge to get rid of them before they got in trouble. Such was the case at the Sweet Tooth neighboring the Tooth and Nail, as its proprietor, a young, frail woman with an eyepatch named Luculla Gens, was a regular amongst the Tooth and Nail. Although her delicious candied blueberry tarts are the most well-loved in the tavern, her final batch of mint treats disappeared quickly amongst the drunk (and hungry) patrons. Overall, for a city that prides itself on its diversity, creative spirit and artistry, the yoke of martial law and increasing rules and regulations particularly onerous. With Thrune’s inquisitors, the Dottari, and the growing Thrune-supporting militia known as the Chelish Citizens’ Group growing increasingly aggressive in their enforcement of martial law - and Barzillai’s increasingly ridiculous proclamations - the undercurrent of revolution builds within the city, and the atmosphere in Kintargo is tense. Numerous minor protests against Thrune have popped up, demanding a variety of changes, only to be quickly dispersed by the dottari, Hellknights of the Rack imported from the south, or the Chelish Citizens’ Group. It’s been only a week since Thrune seized control of the city, and word on the street is that the largest protest yet will be gathering in Aria Park, just south of the Kintargo Opera House where Thrune has made his new home.
A dozen Dottari stand guard in front of the Opera House, warily watching the growing crowd but making no moves to disperse them - in the middle of them stands a gruff, scowling woman armed with an exquisite glaive, heavy black-and-red chain armor and sporting four throwing axes - Nox, Barzillai’s personal bodyguard. As of yet, she and her entourage of guards stand vigilant, their black-and-red leather and mail armor glistening with the morning’s rain, but none move against the growing crowd. Some of the protesters call for their new lord-mayor to lift his unreasonable restrictions, while others call for an end to foreign rule and demand a proper election to determine Lord-Mayor Bainilus’s successor. Many seem content merely to yell and agitate, but a growing minority show their unabashed support of Barzillai Thrune by arguing back at the protesters. As it so happens, six of the protestors had a meeting of their own just a week prior to talk about the new Lord-Mayor. These six quickly spot each other (or introduce themselves, for those in disguise), and greet each other like old comrades as the protest gets under way. ________________________________________________________________
Listen for Rumors:
Anyone wandering the crowd can listen for rumors and learn more about what’s going on in Kintargo’s new political landscape. The character must succeed at a Diplomacy check to gather information or a Perception check to overhear something of note. Pilfer:
Criminal-minded characters can use the large gathering to line their pockets, lifting purses or goods from the street vendors by succeeding at Sleight of Hand checks. A successful check earns a character 1d6 gp in coins and other small objects. If the character fails, roll a single Perception check at a +4 bonus to see whether anyone notices the attempt—if someone does,
the pilferer can attempt a Bluff check to play off the failed attempt at an innocent jostle. Rabble Rouse:
Persuasive characters may want to better organize the protest by attempting a Diplomacy or Perform check. Search for a Contact:
Characters who are searching for someone wearing a black glove on only one hand may attempt a Perception check. Silence Undesirable Elements:
With several distinct factions among the protesters, the message delivered is a jumbled mess. Characters can try to silence or outshout elements of the crowd they disagree with. To silence a group, a PC must succeed at a Bluff or Intimidate check. Watch the Crowd:
Characters can simply choose to watch the crowd for anything unusual. A character who does so can attempt a Perception or Sense Motive check.
Also, Loot: Thron (Darian) knows how I do loot, but I want to clarify with everyone else since you haven't worked with me in the past. I will be keeping track of all loot on the Loot Tracker (will be posted shortly), which will keep track of the sell price of all loot obtained by the group. This, including coins, will be totaled and then divided up by the number of players, which equates to each players' share value, representing each player's share of the loot if everything was sold. For players who want items from the loot list, they may 'buy' items from the loot list by spending an amount of gold equal to the item's sell value to claim it. If the item in question costs more than the player's share value, then they may either take money out of their own pocket to pay the other players or issue an IOU, going into loot-debt, where you'll owe one or more players part of your loot later. Restorables (Potions/wands/scrolls of curing spells or whatnot) are generally left OFF of the sell-list by me an as assumption that you guys would rather use them for the benefit of the group. This means that they don't figure in to share value. Other items as you guys see fit can be put into this list too (just let me know). Example: You guys end up getting done with adventuring for the day and come up with loot that sells for a total of 6,000 gp. This may represent a mixture of gear (sold at 1/2 price), gems (sold at full value) and coins (counted for full value), but totals to 6,000 gp. Because there are six players in the group, that means everyone has a share-value of 1,000 gp. Lets say of that, one of you wants a suit of masterwork chainmail - the normal price of that is 300 gp, while the sell-value is 150 gp. They would take 150 gp out of their 1,000 gp share value and end up with 850gp and the suit of armor. If thats all they wanted, they would add 850 gp to their coins and the suit of armor to their inventory. If another player wanted a single object amongst that hoard that came out to be 1500 gp however, they'd have to either spend an additional 500 gp out of their own pocket (representing the player giving it to the others to pay for the item beyond their share value) or issue an IOU to one or more players, who don't get a portion of their share value immediately, instead taking it out of the player's next portion of loot. (In this case, that could mean either 100 gp for each other player or 500 gp to one player, 250 to two, etc. Up to you guys on that) Any questions about that?
My players.. completely avoided those encounters in Skull and Shackles. How? By burning the field. Yep. They're that kind of group. Thats how they tend to live so long.. heh. Pett's just a deliciously brutal designer who likes to throw a few twists and turns at players to bring them out of their comfort zone. Heck, in that very same book, I nearly had a player die to the very first skill-based encounter in it. The rogue was not prepared for climbing. And while I do agree about the meek followers bit with the Stormtroopers of Cheliax (Love that comparison), Kintargo itself has always been kind of 'freedom loving' - as a result, the Dottari, though now under the direct control of a Thrune, were likely a bit more free-willed than standard Dottari from other cities. Why? They're Kintargan natives too, after all.
Hey Edgar - I found something interesting you might like regarding the Arcane Trickster PrC you were looking at. Located in the Dirty Tactics Toolbox is a feat called "Accomplished Sneak Attacker" - its not yet on the PFSRD, but what it does is grant you a +1d6 sneak attack die, so long as you don't exceed 1/2 your character level (rounded up). Grabbing one of these feats, you can enter the Arcane Trickster PrC at level 5 with a wizard(or 6 with a Sorcerer/Bard/etc). Since the requirements of the Arcane Tricksters are Here, you can take one level of rogue (or Vivisectionist Alchemist, oddly enough) then 3 levels of wizard (4 of sorcerer or other spontaneous caster - Or magus!), spend one feat (at 3rd level) on it, and then qualify for the Arcane Trickster at 5th (or 6th). Thats two levels earlier than usual. ..I doubt Paizo intended this, as they prefer PrCs to be enterable at no earlier than 6th, but its there! Wonder if its PFS Legal...
*Edit*....man there are some really good feats in this book, heres another one:
Welcome to the forums! I've got absolutely no issue with a new player to the Paizo forums. Any issues we have because you're new can easily be solved :D
In my own campaign I'm running Core Races + Tiefling and Tengu (both of which are common and/or visible enough) as open to anyone. Any other races, if not taken precautions to hide their unusual race, will find the Silver Ravens' notoriety increasing a little bit more than standard (+1 Notoriety each time notoriety is gained). Got the idea from someone else on the board and I think its a fantastic way to allow other races with adding a 'tax' for using them. As for halflings.. was already answered heh. That being said, having a renegade halfing from another region in Cheliax might be a good hook to add additional encounters to the campaign.
A cold, wet dawn rises on the morning of the seventh of Abadius in the Silver City of Kintargo. Those waking up early find themselves greeted by the morning fog rolling in along with an unusual sinister feeling. Normally smelling of brine and seaweed, the morning’s air instead reeks of sulfur and brimstone tinged with the smell of smoke - and what would be later be described as burnt flesh. What seems to be an eerily oppressive silence blankets the city, broken by the cacophonous ringing of the Devils Bells atop the Temple of Asmodeus as soon as the morning’s sun reaches its dim gloom through the thick fog and shines upon the massive temple located at the apex of Temple Hill. And it is with the start of the new day when Kintargo finds itself a different city than the night previous - for as the city’s residents would quickly learn, a new Lord-Mayor has taken office: Paracount Barzillai Thrune.
Later that morning, as the morning fog begins to lift and Kintargo’s citizens begin travelling out of their homes in earnest, they begin to gather in front of numerous places of interest as they discover groups of Dottari stationed near town criers posted around the city. One such location is in front of the famous Kintargo Opera House, a massive building built in the Egorian style of severe, pointed spires and a central dome topped with Kintargo’s distinctive red-tiled roof. In front of the building are no less than a dozen Dottari standing guard, their black and red leather and mail outfits glistening from the moisture and each standing in stern silence, watching the growing crowd. Between the two groups of Dottari, standing on the top of the Opera House’s steps and next to a red-robed figure is one of the town criers outfitted in typical Chelish colours of red and black. Compared to the city guard on either side of him and the hooded figure bearing a spiked, inverted pentacle of black iron hanging from a chain around his neck, the town crier appears nervous, his eyes shifting and sweat glistening from his brow. At precisely seven minutes after seven in the morning, the Devil’s Bells ring out seven times, eliciting a nod from the red-robed priest to the town crier, who steps forward and opens a thick scroll of vellum emblazoned with the symbol of House Thrune. He clears his throat before speaking in a loud and slightly shaky voice, gaining confidence as he continues to speak. ”Hear ye, Hear ye, loyal citizens of Kintargo! By the order of Her Infernal Majestrix, Queen Abrogail II of House Thrune, Kintargo has, upon further notice, been placed under a state of martial law in order to better protect its citizens and the empire from the ongoing threat of the terrorist group known as the Glorious Reclamation. By the same order, Paracount Barzillai Thrune has been assigned the office of Lord-Mayor of Kintargo, due to the abandonment of office and unknown whereabouts of the former Lord-Mayor, Jilia Bainilus.” At this first announcement, cries anger and disbelief rise up from the crowd, though the town crier continues, either oblivious or in spite of the interruption. ”Lord-Mayor Thrune hopes to ensure Kintargo’s support and its citizens’ safety, and as a result has enacted the following edicts. First, the southron gate known as Rust Gate is to be closed at all times, opening only at scheduled intervals four times per day. A toll of two silver shields is to be paid by all those wishing to pass through the gate without the proper paperwork. Secondly, a toll of three copper pinches is to be paid upon anyone crossing Bleakbridge without the proper paperwork. And thirdly, the Kintargo Opera House is closed until further notice, as Lord-Mayor Thrune has taken it as his current residence within the city -” At this, the town crier is interrupted by an outcry from the crowd that dwarfed the previous one, as the Kintargo Opera House is a much beloved venue and place of arts for the city. The town crier tries to regain control of the crowd and finish speaking, eventually succeeding after a few minutes as they settle down. ”The Lord-Mayor hopes to work with the city and her citizens on keeping the peace so that we all may face the hardships that lie ahead for our magnificent nation.” At the closing of the announcements, the crowd lingers for a short time before finally dispersing at the encouragement of the Dottari; from then on, Kintargo’s residents can easily note an increased number of patrols within the city as well as the arrival of a new force of law enforcement: A contingent of Hellknights of the Rack arrive in the city via horseback later that day, taking up residence at Castle Kintargo; rumors spread like wildfire across the city at the current events, and as a result, the city’s various taverns and hot spots are filled to the brim with rumormongers and gossips. One such location finding itself packed to the brim is the oldest tavern in Old Kintargo: The Tooth and Nail. --------------------------- Situated across the street of the Old Kintargo Cemetery, the Tooth and Nail is easily the oldest surviving tavern in Old Kintargo; this single-story tavern is marked by nothing but a wooden post outside, four bent and rusty nails and six rotted wolves’ teeth hammered into its weathered face. Although certainly presenting the facade of a run down tavern, it is in fact a fixture of Old Kintargo as a popular hangout for the district’s artisans, merchants, and adventurers. The tavern shares the building with a confectioner’s shop, identified by the words “Sweet Tooth” painted at its entrance on Tuce Alley. Inside, the Tooth and Nail carries the stink of stale beer, tobacco smoke, and less discernible odors hovering in the air like clouds of gnats. Narrow windows, stained yellow, allow in little natural light, and a few sputtering candles do little to disperse the gloom. The furniture is dilapidated and was of poor quality even on the long-ago day it was fashioned. Though the tavern is crowded the afternoon after Barzillai Thrune’s appointment as Lord-Mayor, its owner, a rather short but bombastic woman of Chelish origins named Setrona Sabinus, can be seen bouncing around the tavern, yelling and greeting customers as she serves stale beer to quench their thirsts; Behind the bar, a lumpish man with close-cropped blond hair serves drinks. This man is the tavern’s almost comically buffoonish bartender, Insome Filas. Known more for his slow wit, laziness and easily-distracted attention span than his questionable talents at laughing at jokes for the wrong reasons and forgetting to ask for payment for drinks, Filas is nevertheless well liked by both the tavern’s regulars and his employer. A light drizzle wets the streets outside causing those eager to stay dry to enter the already packed tavern to discuss the recent ongoing events - although not readily apparent as the martial law, rumors are abound about the numerous fires that occurred during the night. Rapidly being named ’The Night of Ashes’ by the rumormongers discussing it, three buildings burnt down during the dead of night; the Silver Star, a musical instrument store well known as being owned by the famed local opera performer Shensen, the Victocora Estate located in the Green Way, and the Thrashing Badger, a tavern located in the Yolubilis Harbor district, formerly a very popular haunt for the city’s rowdier laborers and sailors. ____________________________________________________________
Welcome to the recruitment thread for the Crustypeanut’s Hell’s Rebels: Flight of the Silver Ravens campaign! Set in the silver city of Kintargo along the northern coast of Thrice-Damned Cheliax, Hell’s Rebels takes noble Kintargan residents such as yourselves and pits them against some of the most diabolical leaders of Cheliax - yes, that’s right, a Thrune has come to town and he’s setting up shop to stay! Or so he thinks. Hell’s Rebels is a campaign rife with political intrigue, espionage and sabotage, and of course outright rebellion against the powers that be - in this case, Paracount Barzillai Thrune, the Church of Asmodeus, and their lackies. It is a mix of roleplaying and rollplaying, with a great combination of both combat and noncombat encounters, some of which are added or modified by yours truly. Do you think you have what it takes to rebuild the infamous Silver Ravens of Kintargo? Do you think you have what it takes to fight the Thrice-Damned House Thrune and the Church of the Lord of the Nine Hells? Do you think you have what it takes to avoid turning this into a repeat of the Red Revolution of Galt? And do you think you have what it takes to look absolutely dashing while doing so? If so, Hell’s Rebels: Flight of the Silver Ravens might just be the campaign for you!
Your character in Hell’s Rebels will be a native of Kintargo, unhappy with the current state of martial law set forth by Paracount Barzillai Thrune. An unfortunate set of events that will occur early in the campaign will set you - and others like you - on a direct path to rebuilding the infamous rebel group known as the Silver Ravens, previously known for defending Kintargo against all attacks during the Chelish Civil War that occurred over eighty years ago before succumbing to the might of the Thrice-Damned House Thrune’s victory during the civil war. All but eradicated, it will soon be time for their return! Set roughly a week after Paracount Barzillai Thrune’s arrival to the city following a night of arson and murder now known as the Night of Ashes, the campaign will be set entirely in Kintargo and the surrounding Archduchy of Ravounel - a backwater region located along the northern coast of Cheliax, separated by the heartland by the impressive Menador Mountains and adjacent to the southern border of Nidal. The campaign will begin at the largest and latest protest since the onset of martial law, set in front of the famous Kintargo Opera House at Aria Park - known aptly as the Aria Park Protest. The character creation outline for Hell’s Rebels characters will be as follows:
Starting Level: PCs will start at 1st level.
Unusual Races: Races that go beyond the above-mentioned choices will see a penalty to the rebellion - most notably, unless steps are taken to hide one’s unusual race, the group’s Notoriety will see a greater increase each time Notoriety is gained, and the organization’s starting Notoriety will be higher for each unusual race. When you create a submission, please create a character alias and include your character information in the form of a bestiary stat block like Theodric Rothnt’s Profile. An easily copied and modified version can be found here. Alternatively, Hero Lab format or something very similar to either works as well. Also, include the following information in your profile:
When reading backgrounds, I’m looking for ways that you as players tie yourselves into Kintargo; Where do you live? Do you have family here? How long have you lived here? Do you have any special haunts that you frequent? Do you have friends or rivals? These sorts of things I’m looking for, and the better tied to Kintargo your character is, the better chance you have at being selected. This also helps me see who has read the player’s guide and the ‘Kintargo at a Glance’ article within it. For anyone having a hard time coming up with a Chaotic-Good Concept (or something similar), I’d highly recommend this guide as a read. Of course, I’m more fond of this one myself.. but that’s for another time, another place, another campaign.. hu hu hu.
Automatic Bonus Progression: As introduced in Pathfinder Unchained, this campaign will be modified to use the Automatic Bonus Progression system, removing the need for the ‘Big Six’ items. However, the ABP system will see a few minor modifications. First, we’ll be using the optional rules for magic armor/weapons as seen here. I will help players understand these rules better if they are having trouble understanding them once we get to it. Secondly, at 6th, 11th, and 15th, when players are given a +2, +4, or +6/+2 to mental abilities, they may instead choose either mental or physical scores to boost; at the level after, instead of getting a bonus to physical scores, they instead get a bonus to either mental or physical, whichever one they did not choose the level previously.
The following rules are potentially going to be in effect - Once I’ve picked my players, I’m going to discuss the rules for these and have a vote on them. In addition, I need to read them in more depth to make sure I understand them properly before applying them. Dynamic Magic Item Creation: Since the Big 6 magic items no longer exist, greater emphasis will be placed on magic items that provide additional options to players. This ruleset looks interesting at first glance and might be put into effect for non-potions/scrolls/wands.
The following laws and regulations are commonplace in Cheliax, and although Kintargo has always been lax on enforcing these laws, with Barzillai Thrune enacting martial law, the city’s Dottari have begun enforcing them properly to an increased extent. Laws and Regulations of Thrice-Damned Cheliax:
1: Weapons made up of alchemical silver are proscribed without a license or special permission; licenses can be obtained at government facilities for a price. Failure to uphold this law can result in confiscation of the weapon(s) in violation, fees depending on the weapon in question and possible jail time and/or public humiliation or excruciation.
When the campaign begins in earnest (not during the prelude/recruitment period) you will be expected to post at least once every 48 hours (24 preferred) If you are going on a vacation, very busy, or otherwise unable to post just let me know and I will consider you on "standby" for the amount of time specified and you will be DMPC'd for that time. If anyone disappears for 7 straight days without posting or leaving notice your character will be retired at the earliest possible opportunity - if not outright killed by an unfortunate accident.
I will be selecting six characters to round out the Silver Ravens; each will be expected to fill a single leadership position in the Silver Ravens, although with the Recruiter allowing more than one person, it means not all positions will be filled at all times - not to mention the fact that players may change positions each week as they see fit by using the appropriate organization action. As far as party composition goes, I will only be looking marginally at team composition; I would much rather pick six excellent characters over a few excellent characters and a few poorer ones that fill out the composition properly. Know this and make sure your character can either be versatile or work as a team with possible overlap. Since retraining is available, this is always an option to help fill out weak points in the team. In addition, characters who catch my eye yet end up not making it into the campaign may be brought into the campaign as special-guest NPCs with the permission of the players who created them. These special NPCs might see themselves becoming allies or even rivals of the players, depending on circumstances. As a result, any such guest NPC’s player will be invited to keep tabs on the campaign as a guest - should a previously chosen player drop out of the campaign, these guests will be the first to be chosen as replacements should they be interested. Once you have created and submitted a character (and only one) for consideration, please head over to the gameplay thread and participate in a roleplaying encounter at a local tavern known as the Tooth and Nail. More information on the old, yet popular tavern will be in the gameplay thread. This prelude will take place the afternoon after the Night of Ashes occurred - the very same day Paracount Barzillai Thrune takes office and enacts martial law. Please refrain from rolling dice or otherwise making any sort of mechanical check during this prelude period, as it is unnecessary. This prelude is to help me get a feel for everyone’s writing style and their ability to interact with others. The recruitment period for the campaign will run until the 28th of January, at 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time (Use Google to see what it is for your time zone) I of course, will be available to answer any and all questions either via posts here or private messages. Don’t be afraid to ask! I won’t bite! ...Much.. maybe just a nibble.. Licks lips.
I believe the encounter specifically states that you can choose any non-important NPC for the task - Forvian Crow works perfectly as a result. I agree that it might make more of an impact since the players were the ones who actively saved him - and now he's 'apparently' betraying them. Crow has no other use in the campaign - his team isn't even a unique team XD. Go for it! :D ...if my players have rescued him by the time the Imp does her bit of sabotage, I might just use this myself.
So them tooth fairies.. they're pretty nasty little buggers. Nearly wiped my test group due to constant biting, paralyzation and lots of bleeding. Combine the fact that they each have Sleep? With the PCs being level 2, two castings is sufficient to take 'em out long enough for the little buggers to rip out lots of teeth (the bleed will wake up the sleeping players of course). Man I love these guys as enemies. That being said, I ran it without them fleeing (Just for testing purposes) and it ended up being a 17-round long battle, with nearly everyone's teeth being ripped out (Cleric was down to 5 cha from 13, Swashbuckler to 3 from 14, Sorcerer to 12 from 18, and Rogue to 7 from 12). The fairies simply started ripping out teeth when they paralyzed a foe - otherwise they generally focused on pinching them with the pliers and biting. +8 and +7 to hit respectively means they're going to hit alot, but at the damage they do, they're mostly going to be doing nonlethal, so its going to take a while. Still a brutal fight though heh.
Alright so lets say we have a brand new Silver Ravens group consisting of my test PCs - a Swashbuckler, Sorcerer, Cleric (Hidden Priest of Milani) and Unchained Rogue, as well as 2 unspoilered NPCs. Since three of four of these are pretty scrappy individuals, they're going for a Security focus. Of the four PCs, Channady the Cleric is the Partisan (So +3 to Security Checks), Valeria the Rogue is the Strategist (+1 Rebellion Action each week, and +2 to any Organization Checks on that action), Marcellano the Swashbuckler is the Sentinel (+1 to secondary checks and +various to any event checks), and Rutilus the Sorcerer is the Demagogue, adding his +4 Cha to loyalty checks. Totaling all this up, they have a +5 to Security Checks, +5 to Loyalty checks and +1 to Secrecy checks and can take 2 rebellion actions per week. Their weekly chance of an event is 20% per week (0 Notoriety + 20 Danger)
I agree, it would be smurfing awesome!
Apparently Poltergeists + Concussion Grenades thrown about is a recipe for a dead PC and a near TPK. Much pain, such carnage.
Its easy enough to change them into full blooded orcs, but with the prevalence of orcs and humans in Scrapwall, its reasonable enough there are plenty of half-orcs as well, thus where Meyanda got her followers. I'm going to have a bit of an interesting thing with them when my players encounter them. After being taken down to negative hp, during their one round of Orc Ferocity, I'm going to have them coup-de-grace themselves as a sort of ritualistic sacrifice to Hellion. They hope by ridding themselves of their flesh can they recieve the gift of metal from Hellion, and 'transcend' into becoming a machine. Obviously, not gonna happen, but these guys are low-intelligence fanatics, and I want to let the players know that Hellion has some crazy f$&+ers following it.
So, with the gambling at the Silverdisk hall, I went and took the rules from Second Darkness for Quick Gambling.. and uh.. One of my players broke the system by accident. I gave them all 100 gp in tokens, aye? If the Silverdisk Hall had not kicked him out at about 500, he would have won 9853 gp and 2 sp. In the end I gave him 726 gp (72 silver disks and 6 gp) and a pat on the back.
Great, now I'm thirsty, thanks JJ. Thirsty for more TECHNOROGY!
As Groog smashes the panel - which surprisingly enough, weathers the impact well - the room suddenly begins to whir and hum. Panels begin to beep furiously and a series of muffled clicking and buzzing sounds can be heard echoing throughout the walls, and a moment later, the circular table flares to light. Upon the table, curiously enough, is a three-dimensional image of the underground desert the group just passed through. As the group looks at the image, they can see it is a real-time feed; The skeletons they destroyed are visible, as are their tracks. Curiously enough, the entire desert seems to be lit up as if outside in daylight, and there is even a wind blowing through, moving the sand and covering up both their tracks and the skeletal remains. With the group able to see the entirety of the area they just passed, they notice that they missed a series of caves in the north-eastern region of the area. Meanwhile, on the western wall, numerous panels light up with static.
My party consists of: Groog Blacktusk - Orc Barbarian
The town of Torch has long enjoyed a singular claim to prosperity - a violet flame that burns atop Black Hill in the heart of town. This flame burns incredibly hot, and while it’s usually the size of a bonfire, several times a year the fires spew up into the heavens in a brilliant beam of purple violence. These are eruptions are presaged by about an hour of soft rumbling, giving nearby smiths a chance to retreat before the flames can consume them. At all other times, the violet energies allow for the smelting of all manner of skymetal. Torch is one of the only locations where Skymetal can be worked with relative ease outside of Starfall, and its entire economy has risen around these enigmatic purple flames, with traveling smiths coming from across Avistan to pay for the opportunity to work with them. Of course, Torch needs all the visiting trade and coin it can gather, for while the town’s distance from Starfall makes it inconvenient for the Technic League to maintain a permanent residence here, the taxes and tariffs it charges the Numerian town on a monthly basis are significant. The town prospers, but the bulk of its income does not belong to it. Which is why, when the fires atop the hill suddenly go out, the town is in trouble. It has been eight days since the town’s singular source of income has gone out; Later that day, Council Khonnir Baine discovered a series of previously-unknown caverns beneath Black Hill, accessible through a short underwater tunnel in the Weeping Pond, the town’s tainted water source. With a promised reward of four-thousand gold pieces to anyone who can rekindle the precious violet flame, the town saw no shortage of volunteers - at first. After four separate adventuring parties went missing beneath the caves, one lead by Councilor Baine himself, the town now finds itself with a lack of volunteers and a dwindling hope of ever rekindling their livelihood - and with the next shipment of the town’s taxes to the Technic League due soon, Torch may find itself in deep trouble. Perhaps their hope lies in the newest band of rag-tag adventurers to grace the city; a band calling themselves Hoots’ Hellions. Perhaps, however, the Hellions will find themselves facing the same fate as the previous adventurers, and Torch’s last hope will die with them. But first, the Hellions must meet with the councilmembers to let them know of their interest in taking the job, and it is here where their journey begins.
P A T H F I N D E R P R E S E N T S
<< | | | >> As the Hellions make their way towards what is one of the grander buildings in the town, the Town Hall, with its large watch tower and marbled architecture, they find the town sullen, with an air of anxiousness and foreboding. Theres also the fact that the town has lost its primary source of waste disposal; As a result, filth has begun piling up in the streets and the smell of decay is growing. Thankfully, they put the smell behind them as they enter the Town Hall, seeking an audience with the councilmembers. Inside, they find only a single one not off pursuing some other work or task: The oldest councilmember, Dolga Freddert. This dwarven woman, well into her 200th year, is surprisingly stout and muscular for her age, possessing a certain energy and alertness not often seen in one so old. At her side, hanging from her belt, is the weapon she’s so fond of, a gleaming adamantine warhammer imbued with magical enchantments. As she sees the group, she raises one of her bushy gray eyebrows at the odd assortment of newcomers; a burly orc who appears so dimwitted as to have gorged himself on Numerian Fluids, a sour-faced dwarf bearing the symbol of Gorum, what appears to be a humanoid owl wearing a brown poncho and matching wide-brimmed hat, and a small, slight and dainty-looking Kellid woman with an ornate walking stick. Beside her walks a white tiger, easily as big as she is. ”Well, s*~@, what’ve we here? You the newest volunteers I been hearing about, eh? Got to say, didn’t believe the rumors of just how damn rag-tag you were. Heard there was a dwarf travelin’ with an orc travelin’ with a gun-totin’ bird, but with the troubles and headaches as of late, I figgur’d they were far-fetched. Guess my ass I was wrong, eh? Well, welcome to Torch, as best of a welcome as we can give ya, considerin’ the troubles. Sorry the rest o’ the Councilors can’t be here to greet ya; Ol’ Kyte and Otterbie are coordinatin’ ways to get rid of all the s#~%s thats been pilin’ up, while Olandir’s been nursin’ a headache she’s had for the past three days. And of course I don’t need ta tell you about Baine, who’s gone an’ got himself missing down beneath the Hill. So, all you’ve got is me - Dolga Freddert, at yer service.” Despite her foul language and rough demeanor, the dwarf shakes each of the group’s hands, friendlier than one might expect, though her iron grip leaves a painful sensation afterwards. ____________________________________________________
Groog:
A pair of dwarves got drunk at the Foundry a few nights ago and went up to Black Hill to drink some of the sludge up there on a dare. One them grew massively stronger for a few minutes after drinking the stuff, but the other one nearly died after the fluids burnt a hole in his gut! Hoots:
All of these weird headaches folks have been having lately? I bet they’re being caused by someone tampering with Crowfeather Palace. I’ve been drinking only rainwater and I’ve not had a headache yet! Vallan:
The mechanical creature Councilman Baine found under Black Hill wasn’t the only one. Others have been crawling out of the ground around town and attacking people! Dahlia:
Wonder what happened to that good-looking woman with the purple hair? Doesn’t anyone else find it strange that she showed up a few days before the torch went out, and no one’s seen her since? Dice Rolls:
So, having finished the 1st adventure with a group of test PCs (Only 11 deaths! ONLY!), I think I have only a few minor changes I'd like to make for when my actual players run through it. Malfunctioning Drone:
This poor little drone died before it could even blink, let alone take a whack at a player. I think giving it back its +20 Hp would help make this combat more than "Oh, I go before it, it's dead!". Perhaps even having its malfunctioning cause small electrical discharges each round (1d4 Electricity per round to one random player within 5 ft, DC 10 Ref Negates) might spice it up a teensy bit. Keep it staggered and without its other abilities, though. I mean, the adventure goes from this weak little thing to the terror-in-the-dark known as a Blindheim rather quickly after all! Let the players have a little teaser about the horrors that await them. :D Sanvil Trett:
One of the biggest disappointments in my test-run was the battle against Sanvil, who ambushed the players after they had cleared the Science Deck and were dragging the half-incapacitated Khonnir Baine (And the dead Groog the Barbarian) back to Torch. For all of his awesomeness potential as a helpful NPC-turned-backstabber, he died incredibly easy (2 rounds), even though the players were down a person and were low on resources, and he had his spell-defenses up and ready for them.
Since the spells aren't listed in his spellbook (Only the ones he has prepared), the main change I'm going to make with him is his spells-prepared and what spells he buffs himself with before combat. With only a mere 16 AC, it doesn't matter if he has Mirror Image up or not; He's going to get hit incredibly easy. As a result, I plan on swapping Corrosive Touch with Shield, a standard Magus spell that no Magus should go without if they're expecting trouble. Chill Touch is also out for the standard-issue Shocking Grasp. Shocking Grasp makes a ton of sense as well, considering Sanvil would know about robots' weakness vs electricity, should he accidently come across one when pursuing the players. In addition, due the fact he'll be relying more on Shocking Grasp and Spell Recall, he's probably going to drop Pool Strike altogether, considering Poolstrike's mere 2d6 damage vs Shocking Grasp's 4d6. This would be the only real change to his character's stats, as any magus can prepare different spells. I'm torn between Flamboyant Arcana, giving him the Opportune Parry and Riposte deed, or the Arcane Insight arcana, allowing him better accuracy. Regardless, as it stands he has a very difficult time surviving against the players; Even the Blindheim earlier in the adventure proved more a threat, sadly. Meyanda:
The -only- difference I'd make to Meyanda would be to change up Searing Light for something else. That spell is pitiful for a 3rd level spell (2d8? No thanks. In my playtest she did 3 damage with it.) Probably would replace it with something simple, like Blindness/Deafness, though perhaps giving her Summon Monster III and have her summon 1d3 Akatas from the 2nd level spell list would be fun! Ratfolk Scrappers & Scarwall Fanatics:
Although the fanatics' usage of improvised weapons is not particually efficient, its very flavorful and I'm going to keep it that way. I'm really tempted to make them Unbreakable Fighters though, replacing Improved Initiative. This "Fight until their dead" attitude would do well if they fought until their very last breath, using Diehard to remain up, if staggered.
As for the Scrappers, their tactics are obviously designed around them being melee combatants, using their swarming trait to great effect. That being said, they only have a +3 attack when swarming. All of my PCs had an 17+ AC, making them rather ineffective. I think replacing Improved Initiative for Weapon Finesse would would better. And I would like to add that they aggro'd the entire force of fanatics and scrappers -at once- due to their choice of which doors to take. One group of Fanatics/Scrappers flanked them from the rear while the main group attacked from the front, since the players were trapped in a 5-ft wide corridor. The players had little issue fighting them off, even if it took ages due to the cramped conditions. That being said, this adventure was amazingly fun to run with a test-group and I really, really can't wait to get started with my actual players. Hilariously enough, they're calling their adventuring party "Hoots' Hellions", with Hoots being this guy, an Aasimar-Tengu (Plumekith) Gunslinger. I think they'll be surprised when they encounter the Fanatics screaming "For Hellion!" and whatnot. @Ayanzo: I may look into some of those ideas! Nice! Especially if my players lose out on some experience by missing a few things here or there.
And the result.. of the final boss fight against the main villian of the adventure, the Cleric of Hellion Meyanda.. is...
Name: The Barbarian, The Gunslinger, The Magus, The Hunter, The Bear
Its a long one! Weeee. The fight had lasted 14 rounds. The Gory Details:
After having aggro'd all of Meyanda's Scrappers and Fanatics by taking the second door, leading through a small corridor to their sleeping quarters, and after having chased a fleeing ratfolk down to the southern doors, where the group ended destroying some drones, the players went and nearly died to the Gargoyle (Wait, what? Its just a gargoyle!).
After using up most of their healing resources, having only a wand of cure light wounds and a timeworn brown nanite hypogun with 9 charges left, the group decided to press on through the mysterous black metal doors into the room beyond. However, they lacked a white access card and couldn't pick the lock. So, they did the next best thing. The Barbarian made his own door with his greataxe, breaking both sets of doors after about a minute-and-a-halfs work. Meyanda, for her part, was waiting patiently upon the 10-ft platform, waiting for them to enter; She had heard numerous gunshots and had heard them bashing down the door to the reactor room. Her buff spells were in place and her robot was ready to attack. Enter the PCs. Meyanda rolls first on initiative, opening combat with a rather pathetic (3 damage, woo!) Searing Light on the Barbarian. Her next turn was much more effective, catching everyone within Sound Burst and stunning 3/5ths of the party. The Barbarian, having used his last round of rage during the opening turn as he rushed the Collector, quickly became fatigued after dealing half the collector's health in damage, despite its 10 Hardness. Luckily, the Barbarian was fatigued when he was hit with Lesser Confusion; Otherwise, the Hunter would have been taken out right then and there when the Barbarian swung at him and dealt him almost his entire hp's worth of damage, bringing him to 2 hp. He would've been alright, were it not for the 14 Nonlethal Damage he had taken from the Collector Robot's semi-automatic fire from its stun gun. He went down, unconscious but not dying. The Barbarian and the Bear continued their failed assault on the Collector Robot. The Bear could NOT deal a single point of damage through the robot's hardness - that didn't stop it from trying, though, since its master was unconscious and unable to give it orders. It scraped and bit the collector many times throughout the fight, hounding it until the bear went unconscious later. Meanwhile, the Magus and Gunslinger were focusing their efforts on Meyanda, as neither were able to deal any damage to the Robot. The Magus, for his part, had already exhausted his Shocking Grasp spells on the Gearsman earlier. The Magus was taken down after a few rounds of gunfire from Meyanda, though he got a few hits off himself. He had climbed up on the ledge with her and was dueling her - She had to bring out her Black Nanite Hypogun and dual wield it with her inferno pistol (Though she couldn't use both at the same time, since the nanite gun isn't technically a weapon to be dual wielded with). The Gunslinger nearly killed Meyanda with a nasty crit - but, as she retreated and he was unable to get a good shot, he decided to go and retreive the Magus's Timeworn Brown Nanite Hypogun to save him. He was too late. Not because the Magus bled out, but because Meyanda unleashed her Channel Negative Energy ability, and the Magus failed his save, instantly succumbing to the wave of negative energy. The Bear fell unconscious to the energy as well, and the Hunter took enough damage to bring him below 0 hp. Meyanda was sick of these a+$&!@#s; They had shot her multiple times, they had killed her minions, destroyed her robot, even destroyed her shrine to Hellion. For the next two rounds, she burnt off her remaining Channeled Energy, killing the Hunter and his Bear and nearly knocking out both the Gunslinger and the Barbarian; The Barbarian had been dancing with the robot collector as the latter grappled him. After he had gotten free, the robot collector retreated to try and snipe him, as he had a mere 4 hp left. Alas, this allowed the Barbarian to get one final charge off before the final negative energy wave took him out - He smashed what was left of the Collector and was at peace, knowing he destroyed one last machine before his With only Meyanda and the Gunslinger up, it was a duel of pistols; Meyanda won the fight with a nanite-surged critical (She wanted to make sure this shot hit, and then it turned out to be a crit!) to the Gunslinger's face, killing him. She had won, but her defenses were ruined, her minions killed. Should they come again, she might just have to blow up the reactor, and take them all out with her. All in the name of Hellion. That makes a total of 11 PCs killed and 2 Animal Companions. They were all built with a 15-point build, 2 traits (One was a campaign trait) and average starting gold for their class. It might've been crappy-rolls, but this campaign seems brutal so far. I love it!
Because I love killing PCs (They're just Test PCs, don't worry), we've got our 7th death! Name: The Barbarian
The Gory Details: Having gone through most of the Science Deck with very little trouble (Beyond the vegepygmy chieftain that infected 4/5 of the PCs with the weakened Russet Mold Spore and also nearly wiped the party in his own right), they found a new sort of challenge with the Collector Robot. The Barbarian, as usual, started his action by charging the first thing he saw. He has 5 intelligence, 5 wisdom, and 5 charisma, so this is expected. (Surprisingly enough, he was one of only two people to make his will save against the Cerebric Fungus' Star Shriek). Despite his attempt, he missed. The Medical drone, coming after him in initiative, took advantage of his positioning and was able to stab him with his needle-like claw, all while reassuring him the doctor will be with him shortly. The anesthesia had no effect on the Barbarian - but the Collector Robot's claws, did, finding purchase and grabbing him. With the Barbarian grappled, he could no longer swing his Greataxe, so he raged and tried to break free. Even with his +10 CMB, he failed to break the Collector Robot's grip (CMD 18). Come the Drone's turn again, he followed his previous course of action and took advantage of the fact his buddy was holding the big, mean, screaming patient down, and slashed him with his claw again. Meanwhile, the Hunter's bear ripped the Medical Drone a new-one, and the drone went down after a pistol shot to its head. The Collector Robot's turn coming up (it was first in initiative), it continued to grapple the Barbarian, dealing damage with its Grab and choosing to deal damage again with its Grapple Check. While it had intended to simply subdue the Barbarian, it squeezed a little too tight - the Barbarian had only 1 hit point remaining and was raging. He took 13 damage from the combined Grab and Grapple checks (As for those unaware, enemies with the Grab ability automatically deal damage whenever they maintain a grapple, and then can do more damage as part of their Graption), and fell unconscious, losing another 4 hp from his rage dropping, fell down below his Con Score and was immediately dead. Oops. The Collector wasn't very happy that it did that. However, it didn't have enough time to try and capture another person, and the Magus used his second Shocking Grasp spell and felled the machine, considering that none of the others could break through the robot's hardness, barring a crit. I would like to add that the Barbarian was one of the ones infected with Russet Mold Spores.. so he'll have a pair of little children in 24 hours. Fun!
TPK! Still using my Test PCs, and I had decided to simply replace the previously-killed Cleric with an exact copy, minus any resources he had used previously. Name: The Cleric, The Gunslinger, The Fighter, The Arcanist
The Gory Details: When the PCs entered the observation deck where Hetuath had been patiently waiting for them, the Kasatha greeted them in a language they couldn't understand; Unbeknownst to them, he was also telling them they're about to die. Immediately, combat ensued (No surprise round for either), and Hetuath rolled extremely high on his initiative, with his first action being to throw a javelin at someone (missed) and then moving behind a pillar to avoid the various ranged abilities of the party, as he had seen their capabilities via the skeletons earlier. As the Gunslinger and Cleric flanked either side of the pillar, neither were able to deal any damage to Hetuath due to his damage reduction. The Fighter went in, however, and immediately dealt half of Hetuath's HP in a single blow. Needless to say, Hetuath returned the favor, dropping the fighter to -9 Hp in the first round, having hit with three out of four of his attacks. With the Cleric on the opposite side of the room next to the table, he attempted to hit Hetuath one more time, not wanting to risk getting in close. The gunslinger, however, was much closer, and suffered the brunt of Hetuath's wrath, going down to -11 hp on Hetuath's next turn. The reason he went so far down was because Hetuath dropped him with his two shortswords - and, since he was making a full attack, decided to also strike him with his slams after he went down because there was no one else in range. Because he has only 12 Con, he bled out the following turn, before anyone could get to him. Without any magical slashing weapons, besides the Fighter's Greatsword (Which wasn't magical, but did enough damage beyond the damage reduction), they had no real way of dealing much damage to Hetuath, although the Arcanist, who had burnt his spells when the group nearly died to the skeletons, was forced to use his flasks of acid. In the end, Hetuath's high attack, high AC, and high DR was too much for the party, and each one went down before they could properly retreat. That being said, the party did turn restore power to the Habitat module, so their replacements won't have to fight the skeletons again, and Hetuath can't naturally heal. He's currently at 2 HP (So close! SO CLOSE!) and will be an easier kill. Once he's dead, he's gone for good.
I much prefer ToEE's turn based to Baldur's gate RTWP, personally. For those who say 'ZZZZzzzzz', its still faster than tabletop turn based like we have now :P I do agree with an editor and co-op/single player, though. Perhaps even a harder version of single player where your other party members are computer-controlled PCs, and you just control one player (the leader), whereas normal mode would allow you to control them all. While the storyline of Baldur's gate was awesome, I liked ToEE's gameplay much, much more. Minus the Mythic Dire Fiendish Half-Dragon Bugs that were so common in it.
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